July 2007

As you are aware, the TSX and Dow Jones fell approximately 6% and 4% last week respectively. No one knows if this was a one-week correction or the beginning of a much larger and sustained drop in the markets. What most people agree with is that the drop in stock prices was not seasonal in [...]

One of my personal finance hobbies is to read the financial profiles columns in financial publications. We have all read them before. Someone writes into the columnist asking for help on their personal finances and an expert helps chart a plan to reach their financial goals. The one feature I have found interesting in some [...]

This post is part of the continuing series on income trusts written between three personal financial blogs: Financial Jungle, Million Dollar Journey and this blog. Financial Jungle and Million Dollar Journey have each written on different types of income trusts (REITS, Business Trusts, Oil and Gas and Pipelines) while I have blogged on general financial [...]

Please note that this post was pre-written on Sunday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average may have changed quite dramatically since I started traveling. Last week the Dow Jones hit 14,000 points before Friday’s correction sent it back below 14,000. Regardless, the larger point is that it only took approximately 3 months for the Dow [...]

Please note that I am on extensive business travel this week and this week’s postings have all been pre-written. I am pleased to report that I sold my used car this weekend. I attribute this in no way, shape or form to my selling ability but to the fact my car (a Mazda hatch-back) is [...]

I watch a lot of HGTV as both an architecture fan and as someone looking for ideas for my condo. I tend to concentrate most of my viewing in the renovation design shows. We have all seen these- a designer hosts a show that takes a room/house/yard and redesigns/renovates it doing a before and after [...]

TD officially announced yesterday that it is taking a major stake in the BCE takeover by agreeing to loan $3.3 billion of the $34.3 billion of borrowed money required to take BCE private and, controversially, providing $500 million in equity bridge financing. Equity bridge financing is, in plain English, the practice of taking stock back [...]

(I have hit a 2 week busy period and have not had time to respond to your comments. Thanks for your patience). GE announced their Q2 results last week and they were impressive; earnings and revenue were both up 12% and the company has enough free cash to increase their share buy-back plan to $14 [...]

I recently posted on the increasing competitiveness of high-interest rate savings accounts this summer. As reported elsewhere, HSBC has entered into the fray with a 5% account but with one caveat- it only relates to new account holders. Existing account-holders continue to receive the lower stated rates (3.5% at HSBC). Yes, loyalty clearly does not [...]

This is a once in a blue-moon Saturday posting spurred by a comment on Thursday’s posting about CIBC. I wanted to expand on my comment and muse on the larger implications for all investors. In response to the speculation about its alleged large exposure to the sub-prime mortgages, CIBC has indicated that the “majority of [...]

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